Reina the hero as Liverpool win shoot-out

Liverpool won the FA Cup for the seventh time yesterday beating West Ham 3-1 on penalties after the teams drew an epic final 3-3 after extra time.

Liverpool keeper Jose Reina saved three of the four West Ham penalties he faced, becoming their hero after handing West Ham two goals with errors earlier in the match.

One of the greatest of all the 125 FA Cup finals was taken into extra time by a stunning last-minute 30-metre shot by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, equalising for the second time in the match.

West Ham had gone ahead when Jamie Carragher turned a low cross into his own goal after 20 minutes and went 2-0 up eight minutes later when Dean Ashton pounced after Reina spilled a Matthew Etherington shot.

Djibril Cisse pulled one back after 32 minutes and Gerrard levelled with a thunderous shot in the 54th as both teams poured everything into attack.

Just when it appeared that West Ham had lost their impetus as well as their lead, they suddenly regained it in the 64th minute. Paul Konchesky attempted a long lofted cross from the left but the ball caught out Reina and curved into the top corner.

West Ham's fans were singing to acclaim their first FA Cup triumph since 1980 until Gerrard's brilliant intervention.

There were few chances in extra time as injured and exhausted players dropped all over the pitch but Reina needed to produce an acrobatic save to tip a Nigel Reo-Coker header against the post in the 119th minute.

It then became the second successive FA Cup final to be decided on penalties.

Dietmar Hamann gave Liverpool the early advantage with the first penalty before Bobby Zamora saw his kick brilliantly saved by Reina.

Sami Hyypia then saw Shaka Hislop save his weak effort before Teddy Sheringham made it 1-1 from the spot. The 40-year-old became the third oldest man to play in the final when he came on as an 85th minute substitute.

Oldest player to score

He is also now technically the oldest player to have scored in a Cup final, though shoot-out goals are not included in the record books.

Likewise Gerrard scored his third "goal" of the afternoon to put Liverpool 2-1 ahead in the shoot-out before Reina saved from Konchesky.

John Arne Riise blasted Liverpool 3-1 up leaving Anton Ferdinand needing to score to keep it alive. He did not manage it and the drama was finally over with Liverpool fans and players going wild with delight.

"It was an unbelievable game but we had that never-say-die attitude and we stuck in there," Gerrard said.

"We always knew if it went to penalties we had a really good chance, we felt he was the better keeper with penalties."

Of his goals he said: "I just wanted to get good contact on the first but the second one was just a dream goal. It was a dream goal and a dream day."